Princeton Review Lists Michigan Tech Among 382 Best Colleges in the Nation

Once again, Michigan Technological University has made the list of the Princeton Review’s best colleges. The organization released its 2017 “382 Best Colleges” guide today.

Michigan Tech has been included on the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges list since 1994.

“It is an honor to be included among the best schools in the country on a list of this kind, which considers a variety of factors, including campus culture,” said John Lehman, associate vice president for enrollment and university relations at Michigan Tech.

Princeton Review does not rank the schools on its Best Colleges list. The organization, which is not affiliated with Princeton University, chose the top 382 from more than 2,000 colleges and universities. The guide lists them in alphabetical order.

Student Surveys

The Princeton Review bases its annual list on data from surveys of 137,000 students at the 382 schools in the book.

The student survey has 80 questions in four sections: the school’s academics/administration, life at the college, fellow students and the respondents themselves. Students answer by selecting one of five answers that range across a scale from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree” or “Excellent” to “Poor.” Some answers are percentages with ranges from “0–20 percent” to “81–100 percent.”

Students surveyed observed that the typical Michigan Tech student “is smart and a little more introspective than average,” but still “great at balancing school and hanging out.” Another remarked: “I think most people think about classes first, hanging out second.”

Most students “are looking to get a good education and are fairly laid-back,” and the student body consists of “down-to-earth friendly people,” who “work hard during the week and look forward to relaxing and having fun on the weekends.”

Outdoorsy Environment

It’s common for students to “stay in and play video games,” commented one student, but others said there is also a large contingent of “outdoorsy people.” A sophomore said: “Winters are long and cold up here,” and students take advantage of the plentiful snow by “hiking, biking, four-wheeling, skiing and snowmobiling.”

People are friendly and the campus is “incredibly safe,” a number of students noted.

“We don’t believe that any one school is the best overall,” the Princeton Review editors explain. “While academics are important—and some other college rankings focus only on academics—we believe lists that purport to rank schools academically aren’t useful and are actually counterproductive. We believe all 382 schools in the book are academically outstanding. But we don’t think academics should be the exclusive reason for choosing a school—and in most cases, it isn’t. Among other crucial factors (such as location, cost and size), the campus culture is very important.”

Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 60 countries around the world. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering and technology; forestry; business and economics; health professions; humanities; mathematics; and social sciences.